tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60463977801720516212017-09-19T14:23:32.501-04:00Mediaboy MusingsDrew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.comBlogger362125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-36314446896149836982016-12-02T11:11:00.000-05:002016-12-09T11:19:35.854-05:00Hell Or High Water [film review]
Released theatrically on August 19th; now available on all physical and digital media platforms
Brothers Tanner and Toby Howard set off on a crime spree to rob from the crooked financial institution that foreclosed on the family ranch. On their tail are a grizzled U.S. Marshall and his partner trying to outsmart and apprehend the duo.
That’s the essence of the plot for Hell Or High Water, Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-47503814659590346082016-11-01T19:54:00.000-04:002016-11-23T20:04:00.572-05:00Crisis In Six Scenes [television review]Released for streaming on Amazon Prime on September 30th
There were some clear warning signs that Crisis In Six Scenes was going to be a disaster. Woody Allen’s latest project, a six episode series for Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service, was announced last year. Some of Allen’s first statements about it include “My guess is that Roy Price [the head of Amazon Studios] will regret this” and “IDrew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-42394504072761996742016-10-09T19:25:00.000-04:002016-11-22T18:52:55.805-05:00Heart – Beautiful Broken [album review]Released on July 8th
It’s been frustrating for quite some time to keep the faith as a Heart fan. Until Beautiful Broken, their newest release, more than 20 years had passed since their last memorable studio album, 1993’s Desire Walks On. Nearly as much time had passed since their last merely decent release, which was 1995’s The Road Home live album. Principal members Ann Wilson and her sister Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-88167915010223771222016-09-10T19:14:00.000-04:002016-12-09T11:21:35.951-05:00Chantal Kreviazuk - Hard Sail [album review]
Released on June 17th
A focus on family, her longtime dedication to a number of causes (including education, human rights, the environment, and mental health), and a busy and successful career as a songwriter for other artists (such as Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, and Drake) have left a seven year gap between studio albums for Winnipeg-born Chantal Kreviazuk.Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-35412618870336249012016-08-25T21:21:00.000-04:002016-11-23T19:56:03.986-05:00U2 - iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE: Live In Paris [Blu-ray review]
Released on June 10th on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital media
U2’s November 14th Paris show last year at the Accorhotels Arena was to have been broadcast on HBO later the same day. The Paris terrorist attacks on the 13th lead to a postponement of the event, which was rescheduled for December 7th. iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE: Live In Paris documents that makeup show, which marked the closing date of the Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-46975277284470324022016-08-09T17:04:00.000-04:002016-11-23T19:51:42.282-05:00Garbage – Strange Little Birds [album review]Released on June 10th
The normally reliable Garbage turn in their most disappointing effort yet on Strange Little Birds, their newest release. Studio album number six contains all the Garbage hallmarks that fans have come to expect over the band’s 20+ year career. There’s dense production, pop melodies, industrial and electronic textures, crisp guitars, and lead singer Shirley Manson’s vocal Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-85733097217473732462016-07-30T14:08:00.000-04:002016-11-25T10:42:34.512-05:00Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice [film review]
Released theatrically on March 25th; released last week on all physical and digital media platforms
Ben Affleck becomes the fifth actor to don the Batsuit in the eighth Batman film outing of the modern era, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which would seem to be an awfully high turnover rate. He acquits himself fairly well in the role, landing below Keaton and Bale and above Kilmer and Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-22821314438807573192016-07-23T14:42:00.000-04:002016-11-23T19:52:03.858-05:00Zakk Wylde – Book Of Shadows II [album review]
Released on April 8th
Few metal musicians have the impressive range of Zakk Wylde. His ability to bludgeon listeners with meaty guitar riffs, shredding solos, and a booming singing voice has been well-established during his 18 years as Black Label Society’s frontman and some lengthy stretches as Ozzy Osbourne’s sideman. What makes Wylde unique and an ongoing source of intrigue for me is his Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-10037546035150645702016-07-15T08:58:00.000-04:002016-11-23T19:52:32.977-05:00O.J.: Made In America [film review]
Premiered on ABC on June 11th
I’m usually not on board with the entertainment industry’s predictable habit of milking the hell out of the latest hot trends. One bandwagon I’m certainly not adverse to Hollywood hopping on, however, is the current trend of TV-based long-form true crime documentaries. In the past couple of years, this format has been responsible for some of the best documentary Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-81992740420412298902016-07-05T21:50:00.000-04:002016-11-25T10:30:21.412-05:00SIXX:AM – Prayers For The Damned [album review]
Released on April 29th
After lacklustre previous album Modern Vintage, SIXX:AM recapture and surpass the fine form they showed on their first two releases with Prayers For The Damned, their latest collections of songs. The band recorded enough material for a double album, but decided to hold off on releasing the other half of the material until later this year. That album, not unexpectedly, Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-83495939947275186452016-06-20T22:08:00.000-04:002016-11-23T19:52:58.008-05:00Keith Urban – Ripcord [album review]
Released on May 6th
Keith Urban may reside in Nashville, record for a country label, and tour with country acts. But aside from a little bit of banjo on his latest album and a heavy reliance on outside songwriters (a longstanding tradition from the genre that lowers my level of respect for it), there’s virtually nothing on Ripcord to justify referring to him nowadays as a “country artist”, as Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-12581445103200390642016-05-30T01:04:00.000-04:002016-06-30T01:30:26.543-04:00Lee Aaron – Fire And Gasoline [album review]
Released on March 25th
Lee Aaron will forever be saddled with the ‘Metal Queen’ label, which goes back to her 1984 album title, single, and video of the same name. The ultra-cheesy “Metal Queen” video heavily played up the 22-year-old Aaron’s sex appeal, which she used to her advantage throughout the rest of the decade in conjunction with a very solid collection of material. After enjoying Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-52304801539282303312016-05-18T01:20:00.000-04:002016-09-17T14:15:11.212-04:00Deadpool [film review]
Released theatrically on February 12th; now available on all physical and digital media platforms
Deadpool restored my faith (at least temporarily) in the superhero movie and Hollywood popcorn movies in general. My cynicism and disappointment with both has grown in recent years, as Hollywood churns out one uninspired spectacle movie after another. Amongst these has been an almost obscene Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-70564815162600971372016-05-01T17:34:00.000-04:002016-05-13T21:57:45.040-04:00The Cult – Hidden City [album review]
Released on February 5th
Hidden City represents The Cult’s best collection of new material since 2001’s Beyond Good And Evil, which I consider their best album after 1987’s Electric. Group mainstays Ian Astbury (vocals) and Billy Duffy (guitars) are joined on Hidden City by drummer John Tempesta for his third Cult album, with bass duties handled by producer Bob Rock and Jane’s Addiction Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-56065019386801318072016-04-26T00:49:00.000-04:002016-05-02T00:21:16.854-04:00Remembering Prince
I would think this is a common thing, but I find nowadays that one of the most sobering reality checks of my advancing age (I’m 46) arrives in the form of coming to terms with the deaths of music artists who had a meaningful impact in my younger years. This pattern has been repeating all too frequently lately. It’s been an absolutely brutal stretch of months for losing hugely significant Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-8403534871026042702016-04-11T23:20:00.000-04:002016-04-27T00:22:32.471-04:00Black Mass [film review]
Released theatrically on September 18th; now available on DVD/Blu-ray and video-on-demand
Black Mass is definitive proof of how difficult it is to make not just a great film, but even a good film.
The framework is certainly in place for Black Mass to be a standout movie. Compelling source material? It’s based on the 2000 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-9534750788607313762016-03-08T11:05:00.000-05:002016-04-27T00:12:03.101-04:00Danko Jones — Live At Wacken [Blu-ray/CD review]
Released on January 29th
For an artist that’s built his reputation extensively on his band’s high-energy shows, Danko Jones has made fans wait an agonizingly long time for an official release that properly captures the Danko Jones live music experience visually. The 2012 DVD release Bring On The Mountain offered an excellent visual history of the band that included career-spanning live clips, Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-75564079708860407472016-03-05T23:47:00.000-05:002016-04-27T00:12:14.034-04:00Megadeth — Dystopia [album review]
Released on January 22nd
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Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-77349893470025464662016-02-26T03:03:00.000-05:002016-03-10T11:48:09.755-05:00Anthrax — For All Kings [album review]
Released today
Full-length studio album number 11 from thrash metal pioneers Anthrax proves that the resurgency displayed on their last full-length album, 2011’s Worship Music (which I reviewed here), definitely wasn’t a fluke. For All Kings packs its hour-long running time with one monster song after another, picking up right where its predecessor left off in terms of top drawer material fromDrew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-78900224827012667952016-02-23T01:17:00.000-05:002016-04-27T00:12:26.502-04:00David Bowie — Blackstar [album review]
Released on January 8th
It was eerily like the perpetually forward-thinking David Bowie had it all planned. ★ (pronounced “Blackstar”), his 25th studio album released on his 69th birthday, had to be viewed in a completely different light when he died from cancer just two days later. His stunning loss and Blackstar’s universally glowing reviews translated into the icon’s best chart success Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-77583386865482212002016-02-10T12:46:00.000-05:002016-02-10T12:46:27.144-05:00The Hateful Eight [film review]
Released theatrically on December 31st
It's a testament to Quentin Tarantino's unpredictable creative choices that I managed to stick with The Hateful Eight for the duration of its almost three hour running time, despite the major issues I had with it. The movie's title comes from both the fact it's Tarantino's eighth directorial feature (he also wrote the screenplay), as well as the number ofDrew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-58171364642246201082016-01-29T18:27:00.000-05:002016-01-31T18:28:36.776-05:00The Revenant [film review]
Released theatrically on January 8th
The Revenant, which leads this year's Oscar nominations with 12, may well be the least colourful film you'll ever see. Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu follows up 2014's much-celebrated Birdman with a loosely factual man-versus-nature epic tale set on the 1820s American frontier, based on the 2002 book by Michael Punke, The Revenant: A Novel Of Revenge ("Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-43173304332446040602016-01-22T15:00:00.000-05:002016-01-23T15:02:01.733-05:00The Big Short [film review]
Released theatrically on December 23rd
Lingering fatigue from the numerous documentaries and television shows I'd watched on the 2008 global financial collapse almost made me take a pass on The Big Short, which deals with that subject. Despite its many fascinating details, everything about the collapse and the insane levels of reckless greed that caused it to happen make me want to take a longDrew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-28653539650089019022016-01-12T01:33:00.000-05:002016-04-27T00:12:47.250-04:00Darlene Love — Introducing Darlene Love [album review]
Released on September 18th
In case Darlene Love's name doesn't ring familiar, here's a quick bio: the 74-year-old established herself as a member of producer Phil Spector's stable of musicians in the early 60s, where she was lead singer of girl group The Blossoms, who were the actual recording artists on the 1962 hit song "He's A Rebel" (Spector credited the recording to The Crystals, another Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6046397780172051621.post-84181835551775462602015-12-28T22:45:00.000-05:002016-04-27T00:12:56.446-04:00Foo Fighters - Saint Cecilia [album review]
Released on November 23rd
A mysterious countdown clock posted on the Foo Fighters' website in late October eventually resulted in the surprise release three weeks later of a free five song EP titled Saint Cecilia. The album takes its name both from the patroness saint of music and the Hotel Saint Cecilia in Austin, Texas, where the project was recorded over the course of a couple of weeks. Drew K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16276218823272564216noreply@blogger.com2